The Obama administration has confirmed for the first time that Hillary Clinton’s home server contained closely-guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails with material requiring one of the highest levels of classification.
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The State Department released a new batch of the emails, saying that 22 of them contain top secret information, but that they were not labeled “classified” when they were sent.
Republicans quickly pounced on Hillary Clinton Friday after it was revealed that some emails on her private server would not be released because they contain information deemed “top secret”.
The State Department did admit the emails were Top Secret, which is one if the highest levels of classifications and John Kirby, State Department’s spokesman would not even release the subjects of the emails.
He indicated that the emails in question were exchanged between State Department officials using their official accounts before they were shared with Clinton on her private server.
“With even more emails on her secret server found to contain “top secret” information, Hillary Clinton has removed all doubt that she can not be trusted with the presidency”, said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
The Clinton campaign criticised the state department’s decision as the result of “bureaucratic infighting” and “over-classification run amok”, adding that the emails should be released.
Some of the highly classified information on Hillary Clinton’s private unsecure server potentially put lives at risk, Fox News reported Monday.
The FBI also is looking into Mrs Clinton’s email set-up, but has said nothing about the nature of its probe. He would not say when the review began or how long it would go, and acknowledged it’s possible there could be classified emails that weren’t marked as such. “The best way to resolve is to do what I asked months ago – release these, let the public see them, and let’s move on”. “She says problem is HRC does not know how to use a computer to do email – only bb”.
The government forbids handling of classified information, which may or may not be marked that way, outside secure government-controlled channels, and sometimes prosecutes people who remove it from such channels. Bernie Sanders, who is running to Clinton’s left.
Clinton argued Sunday that the emails should be publicly released, chalking the controversy up to an “interagency dispute” over secrecy standards.
And speaking hours before Iowa voters head to the caucuses to cast the first votes of the primary cycle, Clinton said she is thrilled with her campaign operation and said she had learned a lot of lessons since her defeat to then-Sen.
“After eleven hours of testimony, answering every single question in public, which I had requested for many months, I think it’s pretty clear they’re grasping at straws and this will turn out the same way”, she said. Recent polls have forecasted a tough battle between Clinton and Sen.
At the time, several officials from different agencies suggested the disagreement over the drone emails reflected the government’s tendency to overclassify material, and the lack of consistent policies across difference agencies about what should and shouldn’t be classified.
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“Today, State says only about 1,000 pages will be released by the Court’s deadline today”.
